Improvement  in corn-planters



J. GROSS.

V Corn-Planter.

No. 26.670. PatentedJan. 3, "1860.

N. PETE-HS. FHOTQUTHOGRAPHEI, WASHINW. 04 C.

' UNITED STATES PATENT FFIC JoHNGR-oss, on DECATUR, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-PLANTIQRSJ 1 Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 26,670," dated January 3,;18Gilj 1 To all whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, JOHN Gnoss, of Decatur, in the county of Macon and State of Illi- "nois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Planters; and I do here i a by declare that the following is a full, clear,

In the corn-planters which are drawn by horses, and wherein the droppingdevices are operatedfrom the driving-wheels by means of gearings or otherwise, it frequently happens that when the longitudinal furrowsof the field are. crossed by the machine for the purpose of planting in hills the dropping device does not drop the corn at the exact place in the furrow, and that thus the corn is not planted in straight rows.

My invention relates to an arrangement for adjusting the position of the dropping device independently of the gearing and driving,

wheel, so that the operator may be enabled to drop the corn to the exact place in the furrows. r

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A represents the driving-wheel, which turns on the axle B, and which latter supports the frame 0 of the machine. r D represents the seed-box, which contains the corn to be planted. a

E are two inclined boards in the seed-box, on which the corn slides down toward the ends of said box to drop into seed-cells, the dropping devices being arranged at the ends of said seed-b'ox.

F represents a cylindrical shaft, which has its bearings in the ends of the seed-box. This shaft is revolved by means of the cogged wheels G and H, the former of which is secured to one of the driving-wheels, while the latteris secured to the shaft F, on the outside of the seed-box. p r

or represents the seed-cells. They are cut into the shaft F near its ends, and when the latter is turned the corn is dropped from said cells .into the seed-tubes I and K, and thence into the furrows made by the plows L, and it is I then covered by the coverers M r The bearings of theshaft F, near the Wheel; H, is such that thatendofthe shaft can be I raised sufficiently to disconnect {the wheels G1; and H from each other, so that'said shaftmayy be turned independently ,fromqthe, driving-5. f wheel for the purpose of adj ustingithe position 5 I This is done by thefollow- I 'of the seed-cells. ing devices: I

N is a shaft in front, of the seed-box, which; has its bearings in the frame (1,andwhich can,

be turned by means of alever, O.

b b are cords or chains, which are secured to the shaft N, and to which the hinged. seed-i 3. tubes K are hung, and by which they can be v raised or lowered onltheir hinges dby operati a ing the lever O.

h represents a slide, which is secured to the1 end of the seed-box, near the wheelH. The, upper end of the slide maybe of circular shape, a y r and is in contact with theglower side of the shaft F. This slide is secured within a groove, of the box D by ineans of a pin or screwygi which passes through aslot, n, and itinaybe raised or'lowered on the pin t'j. The .slide h l. is raised by the action of a pin, k, of the shaft 1 N, which, when'the latter isturned, comes in; contact with the projection pof a slide, In and thus the end of the shaft F is. raised and the I 1 wheels H and G arehdisconnected from each:

other.

the field. When this isdone, the machine-is drawn over the field atright,anglesto thoseq furrows, and the corn is dropped by theina; 1 chine at each crossing but should the machine not drop thecorn exaotlyjatlthevcrossingfand 1 thereby plant the cornirregularly, thenlthe lever O is operated, and, shaft Nis1turned,i which will immediately disconnect the drop-. ping devices from the driving-wheel, andithe; I shaft F can now be turned by means ofthe hand 0* tosuch apositio11,,either aforward qr, back, as will cause it to drop the corn inufthew exact crossings of the furrows,.andth:isjcank be done without arrestingthe motion ofqthe 1 machine, for if it is dropping, say, sixinches a 1 on automatically and drop regularly, as described.

A. distributing or scattering plate, 8, may be placed at the bottoms of the seed-tubes, to

spread the grains and not allow them to lie one on the other.

Having thus fully described the nature of my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with a revolving shaft of a corn-planter having seedcells in its circumference, the slide h and levers p k, for raising and disconnecting said shaft from the drivingwheel, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein described.

2. In combination with the lifting devices h, p, and k, the adjusting of the position of the seed cells in the revolving shaft F by hand, to make them drop the grain at exact points independently of and without turning either of the gearing and driving wheelsviz., by means of an index or hand, 9", secured to said shaft F substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein described, and said shaft at the same time detached from the axle or drivingwheel, as set forth.

JOHN enoss.

- Witnesses:

JOHN R. MILLER, ISAAC D. JENNINGS. 

